1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of retail checkout systems, and particularly to advantageous aspects of systems and methods for pre-scanning merchandise in a customer""s cart while the customer is waiting in a checkout line in order to expedite the checkout process.
2. Description of Prior Art
During peak shopping periods, such as the winter holiday season, retail customers often experience delays in the checkout process as checkout lines increase in length. It is typically not an efficient use of store resources to increase the number of permanent checkout stations, particularly where peak periods occur relatively infrequently. There is thus a need for alternative ways to speed up the checkout process.
These and other issues raised by the prior art are addressed by the present invention, aspects of which provide systems and methods for pre-scanning retail merchandise. One aspect of the invention provides a mobile pre-scanning station. The station includes a frame, and a pair of arms mounted to the frame, positioned to hold an open bag for receiving pre-scanned items. A platform is mounted to the frame, positioned under the pair of arms for providing a supporting surface for items contained in an open bag held by the pair of arms. The frame further includes an electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag deactivator support for holding an EAS deactivator for deactivating EAS tags on pre-scanned items before they are placed in the open bag.